


Not A Hallucination

by YennaWang



Series: Tumblr Requests [20]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Mermaids, Mythical Beings & Creatures, One Shot, Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 12:10:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13387524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YennaWang/pseuds/YennaWang
Summary: Request: Have you ever thought about doing a mermaid story? Like, for instance, the one that charmingly antiquated did in webcomic (can't leave links like this, sorry). I can totally see that happen with Korrasami.http://charminglyantiquated.tumblr.com/post/92698552078/a-little-love-story-about-mermaids-and-tattoos





	Not A Hallucination

Korra held up her hands. “Okay, let’s talk this out. Let’s not do anything rash.”

The pirates laughed at her and their swords inched closer to her.

“Okay, yes I may have stowed away in your hold, but let’s be reasonable. I would be a great asset to your crew.”

The captain motioned for his crew to lower their weapons. “I have an idea how you could help the crew, lass.” His eyes scanned over her and Korra grimaced.

“Okay. Well not that. But I’m an expert with a sword… that came out wrong,” she groaned.

The crew laughed as Korra backed up and looked over the side of the ship.

“Alright. It seems that we can’t really help one another out. So… I’m going to not overstay my welcome.” Suddenly Korra jumped up on the side of the ship and then jumped over it. She landed hard on the dinghy that was tied up. She pulled out her dagger and quickly cut the ropes, the dinghy splashed into the water.

“Cap?” a crew member asked.

The captain’s boisterous laugh filled the air and he threw his arms out. “If that lass did that, I think it’s okay to let her go. The sea will take her life anyway.” The captain continued to laugh as he walked away from his crew. The crew that still had awe written on their faces as their stowaway rowed away in their little dinghy.

* * *

“Maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” Korra mumbled as she laid down and tipped her hat to cover her eyes. The sun was beating down on her and for as far as the eye could see was only water. And she couldn’t navigate until the sun set and the stars filled the sky, so she really had nothing to do right now. Other than sweat and lose the little water that was in her body.

Korra’s not sure how long she lay and do nothing, but it had to have been hours. She wasn’t roused from her nap from the temperature dropping because the sun had dropped, but because something rocked her boat. She sat up and clutched onto her dagger. She slowly looked over the edge, but didn’t see anything. She slid over to the other side, again not seeing anything.

Maybe she’d just been imagining things. So instead of really worrying, she laid back down and continued to nap. Eventually the sun did set and she was able to find her course by using the stars. She picked up the heavy oars and started towards east.

Korra frowned to herself when she saw the sun rising. She had rowed all night and she could feel the fatigue setting in. She needed water. She needed food. But her body didn’t feel up to it, so she situated her hat over her eyes once more and laid down. She’d rest for a couple of hours and then try to catch a fish.

As soon as she dozed off, she felt her boat rock again, but she didn’t react like last time. Instead she stayed still and waited. It felt like a minute or so before the boat dipped to the side just a bit. Something was definitely up. She quickly removed her hat from over her face and turned her head and as soon as she did, her jaw dropped and her heart skipped a beat. She jumped up to her feet, clambering as far away from that side of the boat as she could.

“Wha- What the FUCK?!” she shouted. “Oh my god. This better be a fucking hallucination…”

Korra’s eyes widened as the hopeful hallucination crossed her arms and rested herself on the edge of the boat.

“Please leave,” Korra whimpered. Instead of leaving there was a curious head tilt. Korra eased up a bit and sat down in her boat instead of her precarious position on the edge of it. Suddenly the creature held herself up, giving Korra time to take her in.

She had long raven hair that draped over her shoulders and was slick against her skin. Her skin was fair, her face as bare as her torso. Korra swallowed hard as her eyes traced over the curves of the creatures body and her perky breasts. She cursed her mind for creating such a beautiful hallucination.

“If I ignore you, you’ll probably go away,” she mumbled to herself. She was about to lay back down, when the boat shifted and the creature pulled herself into the boat. Korra let out a shriek when she saw a long tail flop onto the boat. “Ehhh, so you’re a fucking mermaid. Great.”

Korra curled up on herself, trying to make herself smaller as she sat on the boat. The mermaid looked at her curiously and then reached out, taking her arm into her hands. Her pale fingers traced over the patterns and lines of her tattoo. A shiver went down Korra’s back, the mermaid’s touch feeling so real.

“What are these?”

Korra puffed out her cheeks, not expecting her hallucination to speak. “Oh fuck,” she groaned.

“Hmm?”

“Tattoos,” she answered although she didn’t know why. “This one is of my hometown.”

“It’s beautiful.” The mermaid smiled at Korra. “I’m also not a hallucination.”

“And that’s exactly what a hallucination would say,” Korra sighed.

The mermaid furrowed her brow. “I can prove it to you.” Suddenly the boat shifted and the mermaid slid back into the water.

Korra raised a brow and looked over the edge of the boat. It wasn’t long before the mermaid resurfaced, a fish in her hands.

“Oh,” Korra said softly. She reached out and took the fish, it really was real. She took her dagger, cutting into it and putting the fresh flesh of the fish into her mouth. “Yep, real,” she hummed to herself as she closed her eyes, savoring the taste. She truly was starving.

The mermaid pulled herself back onto the boat as Korra continued to eat. Korra was surprised that the mermaid was just sitting there and observing her. It was pretty unnerving in all honesty.

“Do you have a name,” Korra dared as she popped the fish eye into her mouth. She normally wouldn’t eat that part with such ease, but her body needed the nutrients.

“Asami.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” Korra threw the last bits of the fish back into the water.

“Do you?”

“Oh, Korra.”

“Korra,” Asami tested. “Korra.”

“Yes, Korra,” Korra chuckled.

“Tell me about land.”

“Um.” Korra rubbed the back of her neck. “Not really much to say. There are people…”

“Yes, bipeds.”

“Uh, sure.”

Asami pointed at Korra’s legs. “You are a biped.”

“Oh. And you’re a mermaid,” Korra pointed to Asami’s tail.

“According to bipeds, yes.” There was a slight silence and then Asami jumped out of the boat. She resurfaced at the bow of it. “To land?”

“Yeah. I need to get back. I can’t really stay forever on this little dinghy.”

Asami pointed out toward the open sea. “Closest land.”

“Okay.” Korra took the oars into her hands, but stopped when she felt the boat jerk forward. Asami had taken the rope at the front of the boat and was now pulling her along, much faster than Korra using the oars. Korra laughed to herself, still shocked and amazed that this mermaid was truly real.

* * *

Korra sighed as she sat against the side of the boat. She clasped her hands behind her head and watched as Asami hoisted herself onto the boat once more. It’d been three days since the mermaid had first appeared. During the days she would tow the boat and during the nights Korra would row. They would both take breaks though and this was one of them.

Korra used her hand to fan herself, eventually just opting to open the top of her tunic more.

“It’s so hot today,” she complained.

Asami’s tail flicked and she scooted closer to Korra. “It is,” she said, her eyes focused on the bit of skin Korra had revealed. “What’s that?”

Korra looked down at where Asami was pointing, which happened to be another tattoo on her chest. She pulled her tunic open even more, allowing Asami to look at it fully.

“I, um got this for a woman I loved,” Korra confessed.

Asami’s finger traced over the intricate lines lightly, causing a shiver to go down Korra’s back, even in the sweltering heat.

“Loved?” Asami asked.

“Yeah… um she was hanged for supposedly practicing witchcraft. She wasn’t though. She was a woman of science, of true knowledge,” Korra explained with adoration and sadness lacing her voice.

“Science?”

“Um, it’s a way to explain why things happen through observation, rather than blaming it on magic or miracle,” Korra defined.

“Oh. Interesting.”

Korra laughed softly, her eyes meeting Asami’s. “She was my first love. After she was taken from me I turned to traveling. Stowed away in ships to get from one point to another, but this time it backfired a bit,” Korra chuckled.

“Do you still love her,” Asami asked curiously.

“I always will,” Korra sighed. “First loves kind of stick around forever, I guess.”

“I-I don’t know if I’ve been in love,” Asami admitted. She took her hand away from Korra’s chest and fiddled with her hair.

Korra shrugged and smiled at her softly. “It’ll happen.”

Asami nodded, a serious expression on her face as she searched Korra’s. Suddenly it was broken and she smiled when she heard Korra’s stomach growl.  
“I’ll get you another fish,” she said and slipped out of the boat.

Korra tilted her head back and stared up into the clear blue sky. She put her hand flat on her chest, over her pounding heart. The heart that had picked up as soon as Asami’s fingers had started to trace her tattoo. Something she hadn’t felt in so long.

* * *

“Can you do that to my hair?”

“Do what?” Korra asked as she helped Asami onto the boat.

Asami lifted her hand and ran it over Korra’s braids. “Those.”

“Oh, uh. Sure.” Korra moved around a bit and then motioned for Asami to settle between her legs. “It’ll be easiest if you sit here.”

Asami nodded and then her gaze fell toward the floor of the boat, but she obliged.

Korra couldn’t help but blush as she braided the mermaid’s hair. It was so soft and delicate, something she hadn’t expected considering that she’s constantly in salt water. She continued to do this in silence, the only thing she really could hear was the thumping of her own heart. It took her a long time just to do one braid due to the length, but there was something calming about this. Something nice. Being able to forget about being stranded in the middle of the ocean. Being able to enjoy the silence and the peacefulness of the moment.

When Korra finished a couple, she brushed them over Asami’s shoulder. The mermaid gasped softly and her fingers fiddled with them.

“They’re beautiful.”

As soon as Asami said that, all Korra could think about was how beautiful Asami was. She held her tongue though and kept braiding until the sun set and it was time for her to start rowing once again.

* * *

“FUCK!” Korra shouted. She was using her hands to scoop out as much water as possible. At this rate the boat was either going to sink or tip in this storm. The waves were wild and the rain harsh. Lightning filled the sky and thunder shook her to the bones.

Korra’s eyes widened as she saw a wave bigger than any of the previous ones. She grabbed the side of the boat, hoping that it wouldn’t tip. But that wasn’t the problem. The wave crashed down on her and crushed the boat under its weight. Korra spluttered and tried to swim to the surface, but the waves were too turbulent. Her body in pain. She felt her lungs get tight and she gasped while underwater, swallowing the ocean water. Her world soon went black.

* * *

Korra coughed and her body jerked into a sitting position.

“Holy shit. She’s alive!” A man beside her shouted to his friend. They both leaned down, helping Korra stand.

“H-how?” Korra wasn’t able to get out another word before she lost consciousness again.

* * *

Korra looked down at her new tattoo as she walked down the dock. She didn’t know if Asami would still be around, but she needed to try to find her. She hoped that she had stayed in the area. Hoped that Asami had been worried enough about her that she hadn't left. Hoped that the connection they had built this past week had affected the mermaid too.

“Asami?” she said softly. She looked around, only seeing the calm ocean. She sat down, her feet dangling from the dock. “Asami?!” she shouted louder this time.

“Korra!” Asami shouted happily as her head popped out of the water.

Korra smiled down at her. The mermaid had waited. She rolled up the sleeve of her shirt and lowered it, so that Asami could get a good look at it.

“I got a new one,” Korra said shyly. It was clearly a tattoo of the mermaid.

Asami’s face lit up and she leapt out of the water, her hands holding her up on the dock, her body positioned between Korra’s legs. Her long tail swished in the water as her peridot eyes met Korra’s icy blues.

“It’s beautiful,” Asami praised.

“You’re beautiful,” Korra returned this time. She slipped her hand around Asami’s waist, holding her close.

The mermaid smiled once more and then started to lean in. Korra copied the gesture, their lips meeting in the middle. Neither of them could stop smiling into the kiss, so they pulled away, both giggling. Korra bent down slightly and helped guide Asami’s tail over her legs, so that Asami could sit comfortably on her lap.

Asami took her hand as her tail tangled with Korra’s feet. With her free hand, she cupped Korra’s cheek and their gazes met once more.

“I think I know what love is,” Asami confessed.

Korra smiled at her softly. “I honestly didn’t think I’d fall in love again… but I was wrong.” Korra kissed Asami tenderly and then looked out at the setting sun. “And I’m glad I was,” she added softly.


End file.
